The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for automatically feeding a character printer and more specifically an impact printer of the daisywheel type.
Impact character printers of the daisywheel type readily lend themselves to repetitive typing tasks with separate or cut sheets of paper such as addressing, form letters, etc. Such printers, of course, can be a simple output device of a computer system or serve as a memory type office typewriter where in normal use single cut sheets of paper are used. Such a printer is also suited for automated operation--however, such dual use is thwarted since the printer must be suitable for manual operation and include such features as a typical typewriter bail which must be moved away from the platen as each cut sheet is inserted and then moved back again to provide for good registration. Moreover, printers even of the impact type such as Teletypewriters use continuous sheets of paper to avoid this problem.
Quasi automatic sheet feeders have been proposed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,430,748 and 3,963,110 but neither of these patents deal with the bail problem nor are they fully automated.